


Tomoe

by jenskaya20



Category: Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Gen, Language, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29786892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenskaya20/pseuds/jenskaya20
Summary: Continuation of my Ghost of Tsushima Sequel universe: Second Mongol Invasion, Jin Sakai comes to the mainland, and searches for an old acquaintance. He needs all the help he can find in these desperate times.
Relationships: Brother and Sister, Child and Caretaker, Sisters - Relationship, Woman and Child, Woman and Girl
Kudos: 3





	Tomoe

_The Second Mongol Invasion_

It was a foggy night in Kyoto. The streets had a restless vibe to them, although there seemed no apparent reason just from looking at it. People walked quickly to and from their destinations, and voices remained hushed but urgent. The only stabilizing features were the hanging paper lanterns that decorated the avenue where the ronin walked, his small companion carried on his back.

The ronin stopped below a building which had a sign on it: the White Fox. It was an inn which also provided ample hospitality. He stepped in cautiously, seeing that there were many a wealthy patron in this establishment. This was not an inn for rogues or peasants, but for the moderately elite of this city. Beautiful women graciously served their guests, their makeup and manners impeccable. Seeing that he ought not make a scene, he quickly moved to a shadowy corner, and waited for a servant to approach him.

“Where are we?” the small companion whispered in the ronin’s ear.

“I know the woman who runs this inn. She will help us, I think.”

“This city is so big…”

“I know… it’s nothing like Tsushima…”

Within the minute, an available servant arrived to attend him.

“My good sir, what brings you here this evening?” she said in a falsely happy voice.

“We are looking for shelter, and food. I have money.”

“Very good! I will find you and your little one a table.”

“That won’t be necessary. I need to speak to the innkeeper first. Lady Tomoe?”

The servant’s eyes flashed and said nothing for a moment. She looked around with some anxiety.

“She does not make herself available to just anyone. I must relay her a message, what shall I say?”

“Say that an old acquaintance has come, that we once shared an old sensei together.”

“… Very well,” the servant bowed and disappeared into a back room of the inn. Within another minute, a lady with an orange kimono and blue dressing in her hair came out to meet him.

“Jin!” she said in a hushed voice. Time might have aged each other a bit, but it was none other than Tomoe, now a sophisticated, upstanding woman.

“Tomoe. I’m glad to see that you are doing well,” Jin bowed to her politely. The little companion gazed at the woman curiously from behind his shoulder.

“Please, come with me to my quarters, we cannot speak here,” she whispered, and carefully escorted him to the back room of the inn. A few patrons eyed them suspiciously, but few showed concern.

“What are you doing here?” Tomoe continued to speak in a hushed voice since they could still be heard through the walls and doors.

“I came to find you. I need your help. Tsushima is completely overrun, and little Mei and myself barely escaped. I was the one to alert the Samurai of the new invasion.”

“It was you!” she gasped. “It’s the talk of the city now, we cannot keep it out of our minds. Many are preparing to evacuate, but there is debate as to how this should be done. When will the Mongols come?”

“It is hard to say, but they are staged in Tsushima and Iki island before their major assault. I’d say we only have a week or two of preparation.”

Tomoe pursed her lips and looked at the ground. “And now you ask me for help.”

“I do not ask you to fight. I know you’ve put such ways behind you.”

“Have I?” her keen eyes flashed. Jin looked at her in suspicion.

“I do _not_ ask you to fight. You and I know very well how you behave when under the pressure to survive.”

Tomoe sighed and nodded her head slowly. “So what do you want from me?”

“I need you to take care of this little girl, Mei.”

“I thought she was your daughter,” Tomoe’s eyes flashed again.

“No. Her identity must remain secret, but she is someone very important... she is my cousin.”

“The jito’s daughter?” Tomoe whispered.

“Yes. I fear for him and all who were caught in the first onslaught. She may likely be the last of her clan now.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry,” Tomoe frowned and looked at the little girl who now buried her face behind Jin.

“Japan needs me, but I need to make sure Mei is safe. I cannot take her with me where I must go next. I am willing to pay you for your troubles,” the ronin showed her several pieces of jewelry.

“I will take these for now, but do not trouble yourself to provide more… I owe you more than you can ever ask,” Tomoe bowed to the ground, voice shaking. “I would have fought beside you again, my lord… is… the Sensei…”

“Past? Yes, I’m afraid so. Before this new war began.”

Tomoe began to sob quietly, and Jin crouched on the ground. Mei got out of the backpack she was riding in and huddled behind him. She was still fearful of staying with this woman.

“I need you to prove I can trust you this time around. If this inn comes under attack in the worst of circumstances, what will you do?”

“I will… take the child and run to the mountains. I can take care of myself… I have not forgotten that way of life in the least. To tell you the truth… while the Way of the Bow is behind me… I may be… doing…”

“That ends today, Tomoe. Whatever you have been doing to extort the people of Kyoto, you must focus on the Mongols instead.”

“Yes, my lord,” Tomoe bowed her head to the ground again.

“Mei, come here,” Jin said gently. The little girl came next to him, barely able to keep her own emotions together.

“This woman will take care of you. I knew her from before you were born. You must respect her and do what she asks. Even if things get tough, she will protect you, understood?”

“When will I see you again?” Mei’s voice broke.

“I don’t know… I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you…” Jin sighed despondently.

Mei gave Jin a hug from the side and then bowed with her head to the ground. “I won’t forget you.”

“Nor will I. I will always keep you in my thoughts. I will return, I… I promise you,” Jin looked her straight in the eye. It was more a promise to himself than her.

“Must you go now? At least stay the night, get some rest… and do what you must when the sun rises,” Tomoe frowned.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. I must go tonight. Our land is about to encounter the worst conflict we’ve ever faced, and every moment counts.”

“Then at least take some supplies with you… Good luck, Jin.”

“Thank you, Tomoe…”

Within the hour, Jin was gone, and Mei was left alone with this young woman. Tomoe gave her some soup, but Mei wouldn’t eat anything. She sat hugging her legs in the corner of the back room.

“You need to eat, young one. You’ve been through so much,” Tomoe coaxed her gently. “You will sleep in the quarters with me while you’re here, not alone.”

Mei silently drank her soup once she was hungry enough, but said nothing to Tomoe the rest of the evening. At night while they lay on their mats, she could hear the little girl crying softly to herself, but there were no words that came to Tomoe’s mind to comfort her. They would need to have a heart-to-heart the next day.

When the sun came up, the fog lifted and yellow light streamed through the shoji windows. Mei peered around her and saw that the woman was gone, busy serving the guests. However, there was a bowl of hot rice waiting for her. Mei hadn’t eaten normally for days, but she finally felt her appetite coming back and she ate it gratefully. This was a strange, foreign place, but she would have to accept it.

Mei took a look around her new home. There was a table which had a shrine and a small incense pot with smoke coming out from it. Another table was for writing, where financial records were likely written. A black kimono hang from the wall, and there were some other items too, such as bowls and statues.

“You’re up! How are you feeling?” Tomoe returned to the room. She wore the same orange kimono as the night before.

“I’m better. Thank you for the food,” Mei bowed to her politely.

“I am normally quite busy this time of day, but I asked my servants to cover for me. I want to talk to you, so that we understand each other better,” Tomoe knelt down on a mat in front of Mei and she did the same, facing each other. “Ask me any question, I’ll see what I can answer.”

“Where is Jin?”

“… I think he has gone to the coast, where he thinks the invasion will happen. He is likely helping the peasants to prepare, and even train them.”

“So is he being the Ghost?”

“… You knew about that?”

“Yes, he told me everything.”

“… I cannot say for sure. Perhaps.”

Mei frowned and stared at the ground, visibly disappointed.

“He has to do this, Mei. He saved Tsushima long ago, in the first invasion. He can do it again.”

“He’s abandoning me.”

“No! Don’t say that! He would never abandon you!” Tomoe sighed in distress and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. Mei looked up at her, brokenhearted.

“But he _has_. And now I’m with you. How does he know you?”

“… We fought together, in the invasion. I then left Tsushima and came here to start a new life.”

“You were a warrior?”

“Yes, of sorts. But I am a warrior no longer.”

“You killed people?”

“… Yes. But you need not be afraid of me. I highly respect Jin… your cousin… I will take care of you.”

“My brother,” Mei corrected.

“Oh... alright then... Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“No, not right now.”

“Okay… might I ask you some questions?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Good… I want to know a little about yourself. Share what you like.”

Tomoe sat silently while Mei tried to put together her thoughts. A moment passed between them.

“My name is Meiko Shimura. My father is the greatest samurai on the island of Tsushima. My mother is a noble woman from Kyoto. I have a baby brother named Toyohiro. I believe they are all dead now. It’s just me.”

“… I am truly sorry to hear it. May they find peace,” Tomoe bowed to her respectfully.

“Thank you. Are you alone too?”

“Yes. I have no family either. I lost my parents when I was a child. I was an orphan…”

Mei looked at her in sympathy. “What did you do? Who took care of you?”

“It was just me. I fended for myself. I did what I could to survive. And that made me… a harsh person,” Tomoe looked at the ground.

“You don’t seem harsh to me.”

“Perhaps not anymore. But I was angry, ruthless… and that’s how I became a warrior.”

“Did you fight like Jin, or like a samurai?”

“… Neither, to be honest. I… I’d rather not go into that right now,” Tomoe looked away.

“So we’re all alone.”

“Yes… but we have each other, don’t we?” Tomoe smiled sadly. “While you are living here, I will make the time go by fast. Would you like to help me as I take care of my inn?”

Mei nodded.

“Good. You will have small duties for now. Each day I have flowers to arrange, and places to set, also clothes to fold. Will you help me in these tasks?”

“Yes, my lady. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“I owe it to your... brother… he’s a very good man.”

“I know… do you like him?”

“Like him?” Tomoe was startled at the thought.

“Yes. Did you like each other in the past?”

“… Perhaps. But we were not meant to be. We were too different, and had to go our separate ways.”

“What about now?”

“… Unlikely,” Tomoe chuckled and stood up. Mei stood with her, and they both left the room. Now was the beginning of Mei’s training as a hostess and housekeeper, to pass the days and not think about Jin too much.

Soon enough, the threat of war was upon Kyoto. Tomoe had stayed as long as possible in the city because people needed her inn, but it was time to leave. On another foggy night, a fleet of Mongol ships had come into the harbor. The samurai had set up a large barricade to keep the ships at bay and not land their soldiers, but the ships also contained many siege weapons. Hwachas and rockets rained down on the docks, setting everything aflame, and a great terror went out throughout the city. Soon enough, ships landed on the outskirts of Kyoto, planning to flank any samurai in the area. Hostages would be used to control the people, and those who wouldn’t surrender would be executed immediately.

“Remember what I taught you, Mei?” Tomoe was tying her sword and knife to her side.

“Yes, Tomoe. Always hold onto your hand, and if I can’t I will follow your voice.”

“Yes, good girl. Are you ready? Is your pack too heavy?”

“No, I’m fine,” Mei was wearing a little black traveling kimono which Tomoe got just for her. Tomoe wore blue traveling attire which would allow her to be more agile than a kimono.

“I’m taking enough money and goods to last us several days in the mountains, and we’ll make do from there. Come, let us go.”

“What will happen to your inn?”

“… It might be destroyed. But so be it… we can’t stop that from happening,” Tomoe’s voice shook, and she grabbed Mei’s hand. She took one last look at her inn before they quickly walked down the road. Hundreds of shouting people were fleeing as fast as they could and explosions could be heard getting closer and closer.

“I need to find a bow and arrows if we are to survive longer, help me find some!” Tomoe ran with Mei down the street towards where she knew a barracks was located. There were conscripted soldiers picking up their own weapons here and going straight into battle.

“Hold! No civilians permitted at this point!” a samurai stopped Tomoe and Mei in their tracks as they approached. “You need to flee to the mountains immediately.”

“But I need a weapon to defend myself! I only ask for a bow and a quiver of arrows!” she pleaded.

“We need all the weapons we can for our soldiers, not for the common people! Find them elsewhere!”

Tomoe grimaced but did as she was told. If not for Mei with her, she would have sneaked in and stolen one without a second thought.

“Come on. A horse would be useful too, but much more difficult to steal. I think we can head south and find some stables.”

“Why steal a horse?”

“We need to survive, Mei, and a horse is the fastest way to get out of here. It’s been a while since I’ve rode a horse, but I’ll manage.”

In order to stay close together in the crowds, Tomoe had also tied a rope to Mei so that they were connected. They ran as fast as they could through the muggy streets, and found a place to rest at a well. Many people were here already, crying and begging to get a drink.

“I got some water already, take this,” Tomoe gave a flask to Mei, who drank it eagerly. The sounds of war were distant, but an orange light flickered in the northwest, seeping through the fog. Low, thunderous bombs were going off as well. The Mongols had brought even stronger fire power than before, nothing like what the Japanese had ever used.

“Where do we go next?” Mei asked anxiously.

“See the mountains on the horizon? We stay up there until the coast is clear. But I need a bow, damn it,” Tomoe shook her head and peered through the crowds. “We need to get out of here. There are too many people here drawing attention to themselves and Mongols will like that. Come on.”

Lanterns lit the roads while Tomoe and Mei passed by. As housing became more scarce and they entered the country, it was too dark to see except for these occasional lanterns. The rice fields and forests remained still, and the only sound to be heard were crickets and their footsteps on the dirt road.

“Are you tired?” Tomoe asked when they had been walking for quite a long time. It must have been well past midnight, and they hadn't found any stables with horses in them.

“Yes. How will we find Jin again?”

“I don’t know. He will likely come looking for us at the inn, so when this all ends, we should return there. Otherwise, we’re on our own now.”

“Tomoe, who’s that?”

Tomoe looked up to see a ronin in black standing below a hanging lantern, about 100 paces away. A straw hat obscured his face. It was empty out here at this time of night, no other travelers. She halted in her spot.

“Mei… go hide in the grass,” Tomoe untied the rope between them, still staring at the ronin.

“You will fight them?” Mei gasped.

“Shh… be silent, and watch.”

Tomoe thought the ronin had seen them already, but it was not so. He was loitering at this spot, waiting for someone else. As soon as she approached, the ronin stood up straight and began fingering his katana.

“Good evening, my dear,” he said suavely. “What brings you out so late at night?”

“Don’t you know that a war is going on? I’m a refugee,” Tomoe grimaced.

“Of course. But these roads are no place for a young lady _all alone_ ,” he faced her and took several steps forward.

“Stay back!” Tomoe gripped her sword and the man stopped. He chuckled softly.

“I don’t want to hurt you. But you owe me for keeping you safe out here. Pay me a stash of rice, and you may go on your way.”

“A toll? More like taking advantage of the weak.”

“And don’t we all? We do what we must to survive.”

“Yes. But not like that.”

“Pay up. Or I will run you back to Kyoto,” he said ominously.

“… Very well… I am not alone, I have one other with me.”

“Then make that two stashes.”

Tomoe reached into her bag and took out two pouches of rice. That would have been enough food to feed her and Mei for two days. She hesitated a moment.

“If you take this rice, you must also tell me how many you work with. Do you work with a group, or are you alone?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Then I won’t give it to you.”

“Oh… so that’s how it’s going to be,” the ronin looked at her darkly and put a hand to his blade.

“I dare you to challenge me,” Tomoe unsheathed her sword and held it out.

“So sure are you in your abilities?” the ronin smirked.

“And aren’t you as well? Try me.”

The ronin didn’t like the tone of her voice, but advanced all the same. He gripped his hilt and kept the blade unsheathed until the last moment, when he hoped he found a weakness in her stance. She dodged it easily and landed down on his neck. He screamed in pain.

“Will you call for your friends now?! Or are they watching in the darkness?”

The ronin screamed for help, this time answered by other shouts in the dark. With only a lantern and the moon to reveal the night, it felt like being surrounded by a great host, but Tomoe knew these tactics all too well. These bandits weren’t demanding tolls, they were robbing and killing anyone who came their way just the same. Tomoe stabbed the ronin through the heart to make the screaming stop.

An arrow whisked through the darkness and landed near Tomoe’s feet. With both shock and elation, she ran into the grass towards where the arrow came, in search of her prey. She was not called the White Fox for nothing.

Mei stayed put in the tall pampas grass, shivering in fright but not making a sound. She saw the whole brutal execution, and now another distant scream was heard as Tomoe took charge of another bandit to steal their bow. This was only the beginning of the terror for them. The rest of the bandits came out in the open to look at their dead comrade under the lantern. There were about five total, wearing faded brown rags.

“She said there was another with her! Go find them!” one said.

“But I never saw them, where could they be?”

“They’re probably hiding in the dark, planning to kill us as — ” the bandit screamed as an arrow pierced his back into his heart. The others panicked and looked about wildly into the dark. Arrow after arrow met their marks and one remaining bandit ran away into the darkness, begging for mercy. The bandits fell to the ground in a pile, blood pouring out from their wounds, mingling into a thick pool underneath them. All became quiet.

“Damn it, I should have killed that last one,” Tomoe came out slowly once the coast was clear, blood sprinkling her arms. She remembered where Mei was and approached the patch of grass.

“It’s alright Mei. I have a bow now.”

Mei stood up, shaking in fear, but said nothing. Together they approached the corpses, and she covered her eyes as Tomoe pulled out the arrows and took their supplies.

“You killed all those people,” Mei began to pant in terror.

“Yes, they would have killed us first. Don’t look at it, Mei. You don’t have to.”

“You’re taking their stuff too?”

“Yes. We have no choice.”

Tomoe took her hand as they walked past the corpses.

“How old are you, Mei?”

“I’m 5 years old.”

“Ah… that’s very young to be exposed to such things. I’m so sorry. Let’s find a spot in the forest for you to sleep. I will keep watch.”

"There's still blood on you."

"I know... I'll wash it off when I can..."

Mei said nothing, but within half an hour, they found a rocky crevice where they could hide in the forest. It was incredibly dark, but it was peaceful now, and Tomoe put her pack under Mei’s head for a pillow…

Tomoe passed out from exhaustion sometime in the night, and when she woke up, it was dawn. She saw the little girl kneeling and looking out below them: black smoke on the horizon to the north, turning the sunrise pink. It was a terrible sight to see, and both of them remained silent as they took this in.

“Good morning, Mei,” Tomoe said gently so as not to scare her. Mei turned around and bowed, her face to the ground.

“I have decided what I want now. I want to be your sister.”

“W… What?” Tomoe came and knelt down next to her.

“…It seems obvious, doesn’t it? I have no family, you have no family. We should be sisters.”

“… Family doesn’t work that way, I’m afraid…” Tomoe sighed. “I’m not sure what Jin would say to that.”

“I don’t care what Jin says! I want you to be my sister!” Mei said in a broken voice.

“… We don’t have to be family to be close, Mei. I’m just your caretaker, but that means something, doesn’t it? Look… one time long ago, I was offered to just… _be_ someone’s family, okay? And that was just too much for me, I had to decline it.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s not how life works!” Tomoe suddenly shouted, her voice shaking. “You can’t just make things you want _happen_ in life! Y-You have to just accept things are the way they are because you made it _be_ that way!”

Mei was shocked into silence and shook again in fear.

“No… No, Mei I didn’t mean you were to blame, no,” tears came to Tomoe’s eyes. “No… it’s just me who’s to blame. For everything…”

“But why?”

“… I’m a horrible person, Mei. You don’t want me to be your sister.”

“But I do! Ever since I learned about Jin, I dreamed of being his sister. And then I got it. But if he doesn’t come back, I will be alone again. So I want _you_ , Tomoe! You’re so smart, and strong… and brave too.”

“I’m not so brave, Mei,” Tomoe sobbed. “I’m a coward. I... I don’t even know what to do with my life now. My inn is probably burned down. I have nothing… no one… _again_ …”

Tomoe continued sobbing softly to herself, and Mei did too. Eventually Mei came close to her and leaned her head against her shoulder. They were quiet for several moments until Mei got an idea.

“I want to give you something,” she got up and went to her pack. Inside was a red wooden toy dragonfly. One of the four wings had snapped off from all the chaos it went through, but it still looked like a dragonfly. She put it in front of Tomoe.

“What’s this?” she picked it up slowly.

“My grandmother on my mother’s side gave it to me, for good luck. It’s always been my lucky animal. Keep it with you, and then good fortune will come your way.”

Tomoe smiled and wiped away her tears. “How funny…”

“What is?”

Tomoe got her pack out and showed Mei her hostess hair comb, one of her most prized possessions. Painted on it was a little blue dragonfly.

“You can have this then, to replace what you’re giving me,” she placed it in Mei’s hair. She looked like a little empress in that moment, her countenance full of nobility and strength.

“So are we sisters now?” Mei looked at her longingly.

“… Fine,” Tomoe smiled tearfully and hugged Mei. “How mature you are, so well-raised… Maybe that’s why I liked Jin so much.”

“Huh?”

“… Never mind,” she laughed to herself and got up. They made breakfast together and then climbed further up the mountain, to wait out the rest of their days until the war was over, one way or another. Two sisters.

_Piercing the darkness_   
_Orange flame and blue moonlight_   
_Flying unafraid  
_

**Author's Note:**

> Tomoe dreamed of running an inn in Kyoto. Perhaps she gets what she wants, albeit we can guess she did some underhanded dealings to get to that point. Still, she has dreams, aspirations, things that once again can be teared down by tragedy. This is a test of her courage, and integrity.


End file.
